


Midnight Rain

by Lolibat



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Crossover, Gen, manga-verse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-20
Updated: 2016-02-20
Packaged: 2018-05-22 01:02:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6064980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lolibat/pseuds/Lolibat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Humans spend their short, transient lives bustling about; few are aware of their guardians peering at them, never moving. Shifts in power must be equal for the universe to maintain balanced. Sebastian should have known that the Fates' sharp eyes would not miss his contract with Ciel. "So what business does an angel have with me?" Ciel asked. Mangaverse, no pairings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Midnight Rain Chapter One

Humans spend their short, transient lives bustling about; yet few are aware of the silent watchers peering at them- never blinking, never moving. They exist, invisible to the naked eye- and have existed for many millennia past. Humans are unable to detect them, yet they hold their duty of safeguarding the soul slumbering within each human. They maintain the balance of the soul, subtly influencing their human to maintain neutrality in their actions as to not stain the precious cargo that they carry. However, not every human is granted the privilege of guardians, for humans outnumber their watchers by far. Only those with the purest and brightest of souls are given guidance.

Occasionally, humans unconsciously acknowledge their existence. When people face crossroads, unsure of their choice, they unknowingly seek the comfort and wisdom of their guardians, one on each shoulder.

Humans typically live and die oblivious of their protectors, and at their deathbeds, one of them escorts the soul to its destination beyond death.  After, they are free to be assigned to another new soul; however, the two guardians must be balanced in power. If they are not in equal in power, how can the soul not be swayed one way or another?

With this question, our tale begins…

* * *

Green eyes blinked back painfully as the grit of London air blew into his eyes. Curses to industrialization, he grumbled quietly.

Perched atop a spiraling peak of a church in London, he rubbed his eyes. The figure bit back curses as he stood up and stretched. Crouching on the tip of a spire is murder on the back, he thought. Here, no being would bother him- humans rarely look up from their lives, and divine beings rarely expect anyone at this altitude- not that they would bother someone of his standing anyways.

With a snap, he unfolded his large white wings, letting them catch the wind. His wings were wide and tapered, designed for speed- not endurance. Certainly, to lift him into the air and sustain flight, they would have to be large. He was certainly not overweight, but as his bones were dense, extra effort was needed to enable him to fly. Strands of wavy ebony hair gently drifted over the wind as the figure glanced down into the streets below, where humans were bustling about like ants. He peered for a moment before brushing back his hair.  

“I suppose it is time to meet my new assignment,” He said with one more sigh. “I don’t get paid nearly enough for this,” he complained. “Damn him to hell… Wait- not hell- he likes it there.”

Grumbling some more, he leapt off the tower and into crisp autumn air. He needed no directions; he knew exactly where his charge was.

* * *

In a different part of London, all was well- except for a young boy, who was decidedly against feeling _well_ , deigning the term too plebian for him to use. There was nothing to be _well_ about- the weather was beautiful, and instead of enjoying his youth, he was woefully obligated to learn an obscure language of no practical usage whatsoever.

‘Anything would be better than learning this… this esoteric useless language,’ he thought grumpily as he slouched down in his chair. On the other side of the room, his demonic butler droned on endlessly.

“Young master,” the tutor said chiding, his sharp ruby eyes snapped to the boy’s own gray ones, waking the boy from his reverie.

Biting back a groan, Earl Ciel Phantomhive gestured for him to continue.

“As you well know, nouns in Latin have three genders- female, male, and neutral. Each set of words have a different set of conjugations that you must remember. We have discussed some in our previous lesson. Today, we shall be exploring the conjugation of Latin verbs.” Sebastian Michaelis smiled.

Ciel openly frowned, sinking slightly in his seat. The demon was not going against his orders, but he was certainly not pleased to be commanded like a common mutt. Ciel supposed this would be his version of passive aggressive revenge. Certainly, he was just following orders.

“None of that, young master. Latin is a classic language befitting of your status,” Sebastian reminded his petulant master of his mandate. “You would do well to learn it. Now, verbs in first person are conjugated like this-“ he gestured to word written on the handbook and on the board in front of him. “A root word and an o.”

Ciel nodded slowly. That was simple enough- he could make do.

“Second person verbs are conjugated-“ Sebastian continued, suddenly coming to an abrupt stop. His eyes flashed red suddenly, and his pupils turned to slits. The demon’s gaze snapped to the open window behind Ciel. The unblinking focus in Sebastian’s stare was unnerving. The demon stalked over to the window, positioning himself in front of his charge.

“What-“ the Earl began uneasily, spinning his chair around.

“There is an intruder on the property,” Sebastian said shortly. “Not of the human kind,” he added with caution.

A tingle of apprehension ran up Ciel’s back. Another demon, perhaps?  The child’s heartbeat sped up by instinct, a reaction similar to that of a prey in the face of a predator.

“However, it appears the creature does not mean harm,” Sebastian relaxed minutely, the red in his eyes bleeding back to a dull brown. He flared his nose and tilted his head slightly in confusion, as if not quite believing the scent carried by the wind.

“Investigate this matter at once, Sebastian.” Ciel commanded once he was sure that his voice would not waver.

“As you wish, young master.” The demon inclined his head as the order took hold in his mind.

“For now, your lesson is suspended. I’m afraid you will have to relocate to your room for the time being.” Sebastian said and leapt out the window.

For once, Ciel followed the suggestion obediently and retreated to his room in haste.

* * *

The angel landed softly on a dirt road in the middle of a well-kept forest. With great beats of his wings, he stirred up the crimson fallen leaves. He looked around, viridian eyes taking in the quiet nature around him.

It is a nice forest, he thought absently. Out of the corner of his eyes, he spied a falcon circling the skies, most probably looking for a meal. Insects darted into the path, and sparrows followed suit. Shrugging, he walked contently towards the mansion he knew to be ahead. His sense of direction is never wrong, though it takes a certain amount of skill for him not to take long detours. Procrastination was his forte, and he never wanted to take on this assignment in the first place.

It did not take him very long to reach his destination- the Phantomhive esate. Once he arrived, he stood a few feet in front of the steps, gazing up at the magnificent architecture. He could call it awe-inspiring if he had seen palaces from all eras in history. It was rather large for a manor, with two floors and doubtlessly many rooms. The architecture hinted at elegance and refined tastes, yet not to the point of gaudiness. Yet, the entire manor was practically covered in the dark oily feel of a demon’s presence. Hidden in a forest such as this, the angel doubted if any other divine beings noticed- or cared. It was distasteful, he thought, how such a beautiful manor was covered by the filth of a demon.

“Impressive,” a voice spoke behind him. “Is it not?”

The angel did not turn around; he was not surprised in the least, though he was glad that he had hidden his wings. He knew that the demon residing here would greet him, and he was not disappointed. Demons were notoriously territorial, after all. Having an angel of his power here would be enough send any demon’s instincts into overdrive- though perhaps not this demon. Hiding his wings were simply good manners- a formality at best indicating non-violence. In the presence of other creatures, it was rude and unnecessary to flaunt status and power.

Instead of his usual heavenly attire of white silks and linens, he was dressed as a human in a Victorian style suit. The angel looked like any other British aristocrat- or perhaps a wealthy merchant.

“I would appreciate it more if you would refrain from giving yourself airs considering how you are the one tainting it with your presence,” he said dryly without turning around. He did not feel the least bit threatened by the demon; the other creature would not attack, for that would give him the option of retaliating in self defense.

 “Taint is a rather strong word; the stones are quite boring, and I am simply adding some color to them.  Ah, but I am sure you did not take such a long journey to admire the architecture, Mister…” Sebastian began with a smile.

The angel waved his question away. “You must be daft if you expect me to give you my true name- as if you don’t know who I am anyways. You know as well as I do that true names are not given upon introduction. As if I would hand you such power over my soul,” the angel scoffed.

Sebastian’s eyes flashed red in amusement. As expected of _this_ particular angel. He would be sorely disappointed if the angel had given him his true name.

“You are correct in that I am not here merely to enjoy the view, nice as it is,” the angel admitted, turning around to face Sebastian fully. “I require an audience with your master.”

“I am afraid the young master is busy in his studies at the moment,” Sebastian said, a falsely apologetic smile plastered on his face. The effect was dimmed by his fangs, which showed past his stretched lips.

“Unless it is proper to study in bed, I am afraid your master is not studying at all,” he said drily, waving his hand easily towards the window of Ciel’s bedroom.

Sebastian’s smile never left his lips. Red eyes narrowed. “Nonetheless, the young mater has no time for idle meetings,” he reiterated.

The angel’s eyes narrowed minutely. “That was not a request. I was sent here by the Fates- all three of those troublesome women. You should have known that one day your master’s situation would be rectified. He was supposed to have two guardians- now he has only one. The Fates have discovered this imbalance, hence my presence here. I have no doubts that you have guessed my purpose here by now- you should know that I have no choice in the matter. If you wish to defy the Fates, by all means do so. I would love to watch you if only for the free show since this is all your fault in the first place. Due to your irresponsible actions, I am obligated to be here.”

Sebastian remained still as stone though he raised an eyebrow.

“I was the one summoned,” he rebutted. “The fault lies in the summonors, not me.”

“You were the one who chose to contract with that child,” the angel scoffed.

Sebastian shrugged. “How mannerless I would be if I turned down a such a sacrifice?” His grin was all teeth.

“You would consider it proper to contract with a ten year old child,” the angel said with a sigh. “You should have known at the time that the Fates will not allow a human soul to be so unbalanced. You have your duty, and I have mine. Neither of us have a choice in the matter, nor do I mean your master harm. ”

The angel paused, then turned around to stare at the butler with curiosity. “I never thought that that a demon of your caliber would accept being leashed, no matter how delicious the soul sacrifice.” the angel said with amusement.  “And to think your new master named you after his dog.” That particular piece of information had been included in his mission briefing for sheer entertainment.

Sebastian pursed his lips knowing that the Fates’ will was absolute. “I shall notify the master of your presence and be back promptly.” He pointedly chose to ignore the angel’s jab at his contract, which only elicited more amusement from the irritating man.

The angel nodded regally with a slight smirk and waited patiently for Sebastian’s return.

* * *

“So,” Ciel said while sipping on a cup of freshly brewed Darjeeling, “What business does an angel have with me?”

The child lord slyly peaked at the mythical being in front of him. For all his supposed power, the man looked barely out of his teens, with wavy black hair and wide green eyes that spoke of innocence and wisdom far more than power. In fact, the being in front of him looked the most harmless of civilians- a bright eyed young man, hoping to make his way in the world. It was hard to admit that the person in front of him was anything but. He wears innocence well, Ciel reluctantly thought. The angel’s natural ability to make people instinctively trust him was as dangerous as Sebastian’s darkly sinful aura.

An angel, a different part of his mind breathed in wonder. Never had he thought that angels could be real. In his mind, he knew that as demons existed, the possibility that other creatures could also be real had crossed his mind. He had quickly dismissed the thought, opting to focus on the reality in front of him. Now, his doubts have been dragged out from the dredges of his mind and reexamined.

When Sebastian reluctantly brought news of an angel on his doorstep, he was shocked beyond words. He was never particularly religious- having a demon in employment shatters religious beliefs fairly quickly- but angels? Nonetheless, his nobility training quickly kicked in, and he had Sebastian show the guest to the dining room for afternoon tea.

“I am sure that you are content with your butler’s services,” the man began with a light twitch of his lips, “but unfortunately, I must insist on being here. Since you have already had contact with… _our_ world,” he waved his and towards Sebastian, “I can fully explain to you my task and what it entails.”

“Humans contain souls, as you know. Every soul is born pure, and the course of their lives colors them, so to speak. Every action, every word they do affects the outcome of their soul by tainting it in a different color. At their deaths, the souls contained within humans will be released and sent to heaven or hell depending on how light or dark it is. At least- that is what happens to most souls, discounting those lost to the demons and their insatiable appetite.” the angel sipped on his tea daintily. Ciel observed the angel with keen eyes- the man was raised as a noble, he thought with certainty. He carried himself as one and had manners befitting a lord.

“In order to prevent certain key human souls from turning completely black or remain colorless, two beings are assigned to watch over each soul- guardians, so to speak. Not every human has the privilege of having guardians since there are far too many humans for the guardians to monitor. In fact…” He paused, before reaching for a small book in his jacket. He ignored the slight tensing of Sebastian’s shoulders at his sudden movement and flipped to a page.

“Ciel Phantomhive… You were indeed assigned two guardians at birth, but it appears they both perished in your defense roughly three years ago- on the same night your parents’ souls were released. How odd.” The man tilted his head curiously to one side. How curious, he thought. Demons and angels- no matter how low their rank- can hardly be defeated by mortals, but for both to perish at the same time, a powerful being must have been involved. Still, he continued. “From then on, you have been without guardians, which lead to your soul being corrupted at a rapid pace for a month until a new guardian was forcefully summoned and bound to you,” he said, glancing towards the butler. Ciel’s face grew stormy, unwilling to discuss That Night.

“Your butler accepted you because your soul was already corrupted, and you were without guardians to defend you. I suppose he found it intriguing that a soul as bright as yours was unbound and already quite dark.” the man read. “However, that ends now. The Fates- the higher beings who are in control of the birth, death, and life of souls- have discovered this imbalance and have sent me to correct it. I believe you may know them as three old hags who love to play with strings,” he snorted.

Ciel blinked- the Greeks did not make them up? He was quite certain that if they were real, they would object to being called hags.

Sebastian looked amused at the callous way the angel was insulting the gods.

The man closed the book with a quiet puff. “In order to keep the balance between the two guardians to prevent a sway in power towards white or black, the guardians must be equal in power. That is as close to a law as law exists in well, our universe. For every action, there must be an equal and opposite reaction. Everything has a price, and the toll must be matched exactly. That is why I am here and not just some green-behind-the-ears cherub.” The man’s voice was laced with irritation.

“Thank you so much, for forcing me to come down here,” he grumbled sarcastically under his breath. Sebastian’s lips twitched upwards. Ciel looked contemplative.

“What do you mean you and not some cherub?” Ciel asked in confusion.

“Well, the task of guarding humans usually falls to the low ranking recruits of both demons and angels. In other words, the imps and the cherubs. Typically, angels run on a mission system. Older and more powerful angels get their pick of missions first before the others. Thus, the ones who pick last are usually handed tasks like these. Demons of his caliber” the angel pointed casually at Sebastian “do not usually visit Earth. Neither do angels of my rank, in fact. Missions of this nature are long, tedious, boring, and irritating for all parties involved. Normally, those who return from the missions do not like to talk about them.”

Ciel raised an eyebrow, but the angel refused to elaborate.

“Normally, I would remain invisible as a guardian, but since your butler has hidden in plain sight, I will have to do so as well.” The man added. “That is not to say that you are without benefits. While I will never allow myself to be bound as a servant, I am obligated to keep your soul from being completely corrupted. Of course, my abilities are different from Sebastians since the two of us are opposites in nature. I suppose with my presence here, you will not have to worry about your contract… ending prematurely.” For a split second, Sebastian’s eyes flashed in anger at the angel’s statement, drawing a quiet snort from the other deity. As if he would let the demon have his meal before dinner time.

Ciel mused over the decision. Judging by Sebastian’s reaction, accepting the offer would shift their balance in power- in a direction that would not favor the demon. Furthermore, he would obtain a failsafe in case anything unexpected happens, and his death comes early. He would be a fool to turn down an offer for even more divine power. However, the fact that he did not have absolute control over that power was troubling for the little lord.

“What would you do,” Ciel began slowly, “if what is “best” for me goes against my wishes?”

The angel raised an eyebrow and set down his teacup elegantly. “I would compromise. If that fails, I would try to find an alternative solution that satisfies both situations. If that fails as well, I would allow it as long as it does not turn your soul completely back. Even if it is one shade off from black, my job would still be complete. My mission simply dictates that I am not to allow you to die before your proper time, and to keep your soul from being lost completely.” The man said nonchalantly.

“How do I know you will not tell others of the Phantomhive family’s secrets?” Ciel asked again, mentally adding more insurance against death on his list of benefits.

“I don’t care for humans,” the angel said bluntly. “If it provides you with a degree of comfort, you are free to bind me into secrecy. However, I will not allow my freedom to be confined.”

Ciel mulled over the decision some more before speaking. “That is acceptable. You may live here as a part Phantomhive Household.”

The angel smiled, seemingly making the entire room lighter just by his presence. Ciel’s heart skipped a beat- to him; it has been many years since he has last felt such familiar warmth. Sebastian hissed lowly behind Ciel- clearly, he did not enjoy the overwhelming sense of peace and happiness.

“We shall have to find a backstory and an occupation for you,” Ciel steepled his fingers. “Do you have a name you prefer to be called? What can you do?”

“I presumed that backstories are your specialty, since you managed to integrate a stranger without any sort of background or history into your family just fine,” the angel said pointedly. “As for specialties, the question is, what can’t I do. I doubt there is any occupation I am not adept in. I have lived for a very long time, and I do not squander my time.”

“Hmm,” Ciel muttered, his acute mind proposing and rejecting numerous stories and occupations for angel. “Are you familiar with academia?” He asked.

“Quite,” the guest agreed. “You could name any major history event, and I could probably tell you an accurate first-hand account of it from me or one of my brethren. As for religious studies, I assure you that you can find no better tutor for the position,” he said dryly. “Gabriel did say that Mary’s reaction of being told of the “good news” was unexpected and rather priceless. There were tears involved. ”

Sebastian chuckled quietly. Even Ciel appreciated the slight humor.

“Name wise, I have not made an alias for this mission yet,” the man replied in negative. “Obviously, I cannot go by my true name without raising suspicion,” the man said wryly.

He is that powerful? Ciel thought.

“I see…” Ciel wondered. “By the terms of the contract, I gave Sebastian his name, but without a binding contract, you will have to choose your own name. It should be fairly easy to find a cover story for you, though some documents will have to be forged. The household is already rather full, and the only position that is unfilled for the moment is that of a tutor. Currently Sebastian is doubling as a tutor and a butler, but perhaps you can take over some of his tasks.”

“That should not be a problem, though I am sure that your butler is an acceptable tutor as well.” he shrugged. “So I suppose you I should refer to you as Sebastian this time? Or would you prefer something else?” the angel snickered.

“Sebastian Michaelis, yes,” The demon’s lips quirked upwards.

“Michaelis? You chose _Michaelis?_ ” The angel nearly gaped at Ciel, ignoring Sebastian’s smirk. The demon’s last name had _not_ been including in the briefing. Damn those clerks, he mentally cursed. It appears that the joke is on him this time around.

“He was the one who chose Michaelis as a last name, not me. Is there a problem?” Ciel raised an eyebrow at the angel’s exaggerated reaction.

“Yes,” the angel’s face twisted into one of displeasure. At Ciel’s inquiring gaze, he continued reluctantly. “It appears _your_ demon stole _my_ name.”

There was a long silence in the hall.

“I beg your pardon?” Ciel asked hesitantly, not sure if he heard the angel correctly. Did he say his name was _Michaelis_?

“What kind of demon picks a name like Michaelis?” the angel sniffed haughtily.

“Then you are…?” Ciel’s eyes widened as his brain rebooted.

“Michael, the archangel second only to God? Commander of the divine armies?” the angel, now identified as Michael, said sarcastically. “Well yes. What do you expect? Whoever summoned your butler was idiotic enough to pick _Malphas_ of all demons, and the Fates demanded that someone of equal power be sent. There is no one of equivalent power to Malphas but me.”

“You do flatter me so, _Michael_ ,” Sebastian said smoothly, demonic eyes glowing with satisfaction and amusement.

“Don’t give yourself too much credit, _Malphas_.” Michael sniffed.

“And here I thought that true names were to be used in absolute secrecy,” Sebastian rebutted.

“You know full and well that Michael is my title, not my name, just as Malphas is not yours.” Michael replied.

Ciel merely watched the two in interest before clearing his throat. “You two are well acquainted?”

“Acquaintance would be putting it lightly, Young Master,” Sebastian said smoothly. The angel bared his teeth at the butler.

“We have met before,” Michael said. “On the battlefields,” he added.

Sebastian inclined his head in agreement. More often than not, the two of them commanded the demonic and angelic armies- respectively- in their holy wars several centuries ago. It was rumored that Michael was already commander and child soldier as a mortal. Supposedly, he singlehandedly won a war and killed an immortal before he even turned twenty. Sebastian could care less about Michael’s history as a mortal. Every time they met, they would both dole out their commands and clash against each other in battle. The angel was oddly fond of tearing out his spleen and kidneys- not that it mattered anyways since body parts regenerated in less than an hour.

As for him, it was practically a crime not to gouge out those brilliantly green eyes of his.

Ciel’s curiosity was not satisfied, but he would have time to pry the story out of his two servants later. Perhaps he could request lessons regarding the supernatural world once Michael started teaching him. Surely, he would need the lesson in case he encounters other divine beings.

“I suppose that is a story for a different time. You still need an alias.”

Michael frowned in contemplation.

“I suppose since _Sebastian_ saw fit to borrow my name, it is only appropriate that I return the favor.” Michael mused. “From this day on, you may call me Harrison Crowe, your new tutor.”

Sebastian- or rather, Malphas- snorted.

“You find it quite funny, do you not, Butler Michaelis?” Harrison asked.

“As much as you do, Tutor Crowe,” the demon replied smoothly.

“Explain?” Ciel half asked, half commanded.

“As I have told you, your butler’s name is Malphas, the prince of hell. Since demons do not take the appearance of humans unless they have to, they usually appear as partially humanoid animals. In this case, Malphas’ demon form is a crow.” Michael explained.

“I see,” Ciel said while appreciating the humor.

“I suppose I should add ‘Young Master’ to my previous statement?” Harrison asked.

“It would be appropriate,” Ciel agreed, hardly believing that he had the prince of hell and the most powerful archangel in his employment. He knew that Sebastian was powerful, but the prince of hell?

 “In that case, Sebastian, I trust that you will introduce Harrison to the other staff members- properly. Harrison, if possible, your lessons may start at your discretion. If there are any teaching aides that you require, you may speak to me.”

“Of course, young master.” The newly crowned Harrison smiled. “I suspect that it will not be a problem at all.” After all, how do you illustrate the burning of Constantinople with chalk?

* * *

Mandy: This is yet another cross-over plot bunny that bit me a while ago. I will explain more about the system of Soul Guarding in later chapters along with how Harry came to be an angel. Yes, Harry kept his magic. Yes, he remembers his time as a human. Will Harry be overpowered? It’s hard to say, but since he has to be equal to Sebastian in power, if Sebastian is overpowered, so is Harry.

The title “Midnight Rain” is inspired by the feeling of well, a quiet rainstorm at midnight (or more like two to three AM in the morning) when everyone is asleep, and the rain is just quietly falling. That sense of dark and quiet tranquility is what inspired me to write this story. I have no guarantees that it will be finished, but the over all plot will follow the manga. I didn’t watch the anime, so as tempting as it is to add in a psychotic angel or two, I won’t be doing that.

As my old readers know, I’m quite busy with real life, and I don’t update often (if at all). Thus, please do not hurry me. I only write this down because a plot bunny bit me. I think I will try to continue this, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to finish it. Rather than let this rot in a forgotten folder somewhere, I decided to upload it.


	2. Music of the Night

Midnight Rain Chapter II: Music of the Night

Michael- now Harrison- thought that the Phantomhive household was certainly… rowdy. He ducked absentmindedly as another tree truck soared over his head courtesy of Finny, who tripped and skidded on the detergent bubbles from the laundry room.

Really, he just wanted a peaceful stroll through the gardens after breakfast. Lessons did not begin until nine, and he already had his plans made the night before. To his surprise, there was no garden, only a barren piece of land in front of him could hardly be described as habitable. In fact, it looked more like a scene from the world wars- filled with uprooted trees and dead plants.

Harrison paused. To think of it, the world wars had not occurred in this dimension yet. He would have to be careful not to let his knowledge of other dimensions slip.

Since the scenery was unsuited for his morning tea, Harrison carefully made his way back to his quarters near the library. On his way there, he stopped abruptly in the middle of the hall to avoid Sebastian, who was a but a blur.

How he manages to fool anyone is a mystery, the tutor thought, as he the demon sprinted quicker than a car past highway speed limit. If he had been going at this speed in Heaven, the traffic angels would have given him a ticket in a heartbeat. Not that Malphas would visit Heaven anyways, but it was the principle of the matter.

Well, at least the staff accepted him readily enough, though that was a separate ordeal in itself.

* * *

A clap ran throughout the kitchen; the sound was slightly muffled by the white gloves adorned on the hands of the clapper.

“Everyone, gather here please,” Sebastian’s voice rang loudly, calling the Phantomhive staff together. The majority of them were already in the kitchen- Bard, who was busy preparing the vegetables for tomorrow’s soup, Mey-Rin, who was drying the silverware, and Tanaka, who was enjoying tea.

The only one missing was Finny, and he was pruning the bushes near the east wing of the manor.  The slight boy perked up at Sebastian’s voice and easily jumped through the open window- the only one in the kitchens.

“Yes, Mister Sebastian?” Finny asked. “Ah, who is that?” He pointed at Harrison, who smiled and raised a hand in greeting.

“Ah, he is why I asked to talk with all of you today,” Sebastian gently pushed Harrison forward, which the angel did not appreciate in the slightest. He quickly brushed Sebastian’s hands off of his shoulders.

Malphas’ touch would probably give me hives or something, Harrison thought absently.

“This is Harrison Crowe, the Young Master’s new tutor. He will be a permanent member of the household starting today,” Sebastian continued with false cheer. He didn’t mind Michael’s action, amusing as it was.

Immediately, chatter overwhelmed the butler. Belying their gasps of surprise, the staff’s gaze sharpened as they attempted to decipher the real identity and skills of the man before them. They knew that Ciel would not hire just any tutor; undoubtedly, Crowe knew how to defend himself and the household. Their lord would not hire anyone who could not protect the Phantomhive name. The question is- where did he come from? Can be he trusted?

“Ah,” Harrison began, falling easily into his role as a hopeful- but hesitant- human. “My name is Harrison Crowe; I was hired by the Young Master to be his tutor. I believe my father is an acquaintance of the Earl’s. I graduated from Oxford University and went abroad to travel and further my education. I only recently returned to England; when the Earl found out that I was in search for a job, he hired me as his tutor. My family’s manor is quite far from here, so I will be residing here as a permanent member of the staff. It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance.” The angel smiled winsomely, finishing with a small bow. He smiled, hoping that his natural ability to make humans trust him would shine through. It was not unusual for reclusive third or fourth sons of nobility to work for other noble families. While they would not be inheriting the family title, it was expected for them to be of some use or contribution to the family; making or maintaining connections was an accepted occupation.

In this particular instance, a Lord Crowe did exist within Ciel’s contact network- undoubtedly the handiwork of the ever-meddlesome Fates. The Crowe family was not particularly well known in the upper echelons of society; they worked from the shadows, expanding Britain’s intelligence network and repairing its connections. When Ciel approached the Lord, the elderly man agreed in a heartbeat. Deception is merely a part of their daily life; besides, Harrison will not receive any inheritance from the Crowe household.

A name is, after all, just a name.

His introduction earned him ‘ooohs’  and ‘aaahs’ from the staff. While they were certainly proficient in their skills of choice, the universities were typically reserved for rich and powerful nobles or perhaps wealthy merchants.

“A scholar- wow!” Finny’s eyes sparkled as he shook Harrison’s hands enthusiastically. “My name is Finnian- call me Finny! I am the gardener here.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you,” Harrison replied pleasantly. He knew the boy in front of him was anything but normal. If he was anything less than an angel, Finny would have fractured his fingers by now. As such, he had to exert an equal force to Finny in order to keep his bones and musculature intact.

Sebastian continued despite Finny’s enthusiastic interruption. He neglected to tell the angel that Finny’s strength was immense- for a human. Of course, he did so on purpose- for entertainment purposes. He was unsurprised when Michael failed to shriek in pain, though he supposed he should expect no less from his rival. “As Finny said, he is the gardener here. Bard is our resident chef, Mey-Rin is our maid, and Tanaka is our butler.”

“I see,” Harrison mused. As if he would fall into such an elementary trick.  The blond- Bard- had his chest puffed out in pride at being called a chef. Then, he turned around and did something that surprised everyone: he turned around and scolded Sebastian.

“Sebastian, the young master told you to introduce us _properly_ ,” the angel said sternly. “That was not a proper introduction.”

The Phantomhive servants looked at each other in confusion. The introduction seemed proper enough.

“I’ll eat my books if they don’t at least double as security detail since this is Earl Phantomhive’s household we are talking about,” the tutor’s voice held a hint of irritation.

Sebastian smirked, which was answered by a scowl from the tutor. Neither of them noticed nor cared that the tension in the room was returning in full force.

“Well, I certainly thought that it was proper,” the butler shrugged elegantly, echoing the servants’ thoughts.

“You and your games,” he grumbled. “Really, you haven’t changed at all even after all this time. I believe this falls into need-to-know basis, Sebastian.”

“Does it?”

“It does- most certainly,” the young man sniffed. As an afterthought, Harrison added in a low tone- far lower than what humans can perceive- “If you particularly enjoy pain, you can continue playing your games. I would gladly pry those memories from that granite hard skull of yours.”

“Very well,” Sebastian conceded reluctantly after a few moments. The Young Master specifically ordered him not to transform into a demon in the manor, but Michael didn’t have such restrictions placed on him. He would be at a disadvantage if they fought. After all, Michael was just that special brand of stubborn. He wouldn’t hesitate to transform and then wipe the humans’ memories afterwards.

“Bard is a retired veteran from the states,” Sebastian began. The subject of their conversation merely narrowed his eyes at the suspiciously young tutor. In return, Harrison cocked his head in thought; did the United States have a conflict recently? He certainly could not remember any wars in the current time period, though World War One should start in the next couple of decades.

“Mey-Rin is a sniper with extreme far-sightedness.” Harrison gave an interested ‘hm’ in contemplation. Far- sightedness would be quite useful in her situation, though it appears that her glasses are ill-fitting. The maid’s gaze sharpened, her bright red eyes practically glaring a hole into the tutor.

“Finnian has superhuman strength, and Tanaka is well versed in martial arts,” Sebastian finished. Harrison raised an eyebrow at that. He knew not to judge a book by its cover, but even he would be hard pressed to believe that Finnian could do any harm. Well, until the boy shook his hands.

“I trust that you do not need an introduction for me?” Sebastian joked darkly.

“No, I know more than enough about you than I can possibly care to,” Harrison waved away Sebastian’s sarcastic question.  Indeed. He could probably put together a stellar resume for Sebastian- in summary, a demonic, irritating pain in the ass who can’t seem to stop playing mind games, no matter how trivial they are.

The staff’s gaze turned from wary to curious. Since this mysterious stranger somehow managed to earn Sebastian’s stamp of approval to work in the manor, he will most likely not pose a danger to the Young Master. More importantly, he knew Sebastian from before he came to the manor.

“There is no need to look so hostile,” Harrison cleared his throat and adjusted his tie. He dropped his act and stood straighter. His gaze changed, and he took on an aura of confidence and professionalism. His look sharpened, and he dropped his guise of innocence. He looked each of them in the eyes. “I am indeed hired by Earl Phantomhive; I am an old acquaintance of Sebastian’s”-as pained as he was to admit it- “before he came to be a butler, and our capabilities are more or less the same. I will protect the Earl to the best of my abilities. No harm shall come to the Earl while I am with him.”

* * *

The staff quickly learned that the newcomer was really just as capable as Sebastian- if a bit more standoffish. On the flip side, the tutor was much friendlier by comparison. However, they also learned that the tutor often enjoyed solitude in the library or in the gardens. He was polite and kind, but also distant in a peculiar sort of way. They did not pry too much into his behavior; after all, they can’t exactly boast about their normality either.

Harrison took one glance at the grandfather clock in the corner- half past eight. Sebastian looks like he could use some help, he mentally laughed. It was beyond demeaning for a prince of hell to be in his position- posing as a mortal while doing menial chores. However, it seems that the demon was putting up with this mundane game voluntarily. Why he would was anyone’s guess. In fact, Sebastian looked like he could use four more legs and five more hands. While Harrison certainly found the situation entertaining, he supposed he ought to help the poor demon- if only out of respect for the warrior who have crossed blades with him countless times.

Of course, that doesn’t make the demon any less unbearable. It just meant that he had to learn to coexist with that irritating, persisting, thorn in his side.

Harrison paused in his steps; it would certainly be a bonus if he could earn the staff’s trust though.

Of course, he will tease the demon mercilessly for the next millennia. If he has to live as a mortal for the next half a century, he’s dragging Malphas with him- and extracting all the blackmail he can. Perhaps that would change the demon’s usual target of violence from his eyes to his tongue the next time they meet on the battlefields.

It’s tiresome to navigate the battlefield with empty sockets.

“ _Sebastian_ , perhaps I could lend a hand,” Harrison snickered as he rolled up his sleeves and stalked over.

“That would not be required,” Sebastian said stiffly, sounding rather displeased at requiring help from the angel, though the various limitations on his demonic power by Ciel hindered him greatly.

“Nonsense,” Harrison waved away Sebastian’s reluctance with a snicker. “Of course you do. You still have the Young Master’s breakfast to prepare- on top of everything you’re doing.”

Sebastian took a quick peek at the clock and pressed his lips thin. Nonetheless, he nodded reluctantly.

“If only you can call some imps or goblins up to help you. They’re much more used to demeaning tasks such as this,” the angel shrugged elegantly. Michael glanced at the ruined teacups with a sigh. This will not do- not at all. He shot a reparo at the ruined porcelain. In less than a minute, Harrison had all the teacups fixed and levitating before him. With another flick, he stacked and sent them all stacked neatly into the cupboard.

Sebastian ignored the jab at his station and barely glanced at the supposed miracle as he went to clean the counters. He knew that angel was a Magical; it was an open secret in their world. Even when Magicals pass away, their abilities follow them into death. The Magicals that do stay in their world- instead of passing directly into reincarnation- tend to cause great ripples in their community.

“Young Master does not appreciate magic in the manor,” was the only thing the demon had to say.

“What? No ‘thank you’?” Harrison shrugged. “I’m just helping out; as if I’d piece those cups back together by hand. Besides, you could do anything short of sprouting wings, and they would still think that you are human. It is ridiculous how obvious you are about your true nature.”  He paused for a bit- perhaps he should look into the contract between his charge and the demon. A normal summoning ritual for a prince of hell would require at least a dozen summons, but to appear for the promised soul of one? Something doesn’t match up.

“Mortals are quite blind, aren’t they? Their imaginations are stiff, and they discount what they see for what they “know” to be true or false,” Sebastian smirked.  “I could do everything short of turning into my true form, and these silly mortals would somehow conjure an explanation for my capabilities.”

“Still, you do an absolutely horrid imitation of normalcy. You are about as normal as a purple flying monkey in London,” Harrison insisted as he flicked a hand and sent the dried plates into the cabinet as well. “Do you even remember being human?” The man snorted. “On second thought, don’t answer that.”

Sebastian would deny it until the day he died, but he was glad that there was another person who had half a brain in the household- even if it was his eternal archrival.

* * *

Lessons that day were mostly spent reviewing the materials taught- Harrison took his job quite seriously and insisted on a full syllabus of Sebastian’s teaching thus far.

“Young Master, I realize that academia is not high on your priorities- least of all Latin- but many languages are based off of Latin. There is no need to pronounce Latin, but knowing the root words is a must.” Harrison said disapprovingly.

Ciel grumbled and turned his chair around petulantly.

“If anything, I should be teaching you German too,” the tutor crossed his arms. “Knowing German can prove to be quite valuable.”

“Why?” Ciel turned around and asked, curiosity obvious in his voice.

Harrison blinked and checked the calendar on Ciel’s wall- He was in the year 1889. World War One had not started quite yet. World War One would be past Queen Victoria’s Era, and past that of his son’s as well. Given the time period, he was relatively sure that Ciel would live to see the start of the war.

“Ah, forgive me.” the tutor apologized mildly.

“Why must I learn German?” Ciel demanded an answer.

“Young Master, surely you must know that tensions between England and Germany are high,” the angel said reluctantly. Ciel really lived up to his moniker of the Queen’s Watchdog in more ways than one; he was like a dog with a bone. “By the bounds of Noblesse Oblige, your task knows no international boundaries. It would be wise to learn multiple languages in preparation.”

“So you believe that the Germans will clash with the English in the future?” Ciel continued with a raised eyebrow.

Harrison shrugged. “If you must have an answer, yes.”

Ciel hummed in thought and gave no more reply.

“Where was I? Ah, yes. Latin.” Ciel flinched- clearly, he was trying to divert his tutor’s attention. Harrison bit back a chuckle. Mature as he was, Ciel is still a child- at least in that aspect.

“Latin is not as difficult as you perceive it to be,” Harrison said. “It appears your text for Latin is unnecessarily hard; it is not suitable for beginners. There is no need for you to own a text for Latin; I can easily teach you what you need to know and write words for you to conjugate. If you have the time or want to pursue the subject further, you may search the library for references. There is no need to rush Latin; having a good base in Latin worth your time.”

Ciel sighed in relief. Languages were definitely not his forte. Give him a chess set, and he can trounce anyone, but show him a Latin text? He’d sooner toss it in the hearth.

“For today, I would like to teach you the second person present tense conjugation of verbs. After this lesson, the assignment will be to practice conjugating verbs in both first and second person present tense,” the tutor wrote a quick outline of the day’s Latin lesson on the board.

His student, however, could only groan.

* * *

The early afternoon time slot was spent in a most… entertaining manner.

Harrison watched with apathetic eyes as a rather odd Chinese martial artist pinwheeled his arms and spouted a number of random words strung together.

Really, a technique is hardly useful if one must spend thirty seconds prior declaring its name. He could probably guess several techniques just piecing together words that vaguely related to nature.

Apparently all this was done in order to see Sebastian defeated? And to think the spoiled little lord had been spending an exorbitant amount of time and resources to find someone- anyone- capable of defeating his butler from hell.

It is all a bit silly, he thought with a snicker. Considering the number of times he dumped _that_ particular prince of hell on his ass, Harrison didn’t think that defeating Sebastian was a Herculean task. Of course, Sebastian could do the same, but the demon was severely handicapped at the moment. Little moral dilemmas like fairness fail to sway him nowadays; no tactic is underhanded as long as it works. However, mortals are fragile as glass and about as transparent, so maybe he ought to concede that the task will pose some difficulty to one without supernatural abilities.

Without further ado, Sebastian bypassed the Chinese man’s blurring arms and went straight for a chop to the back of the neck. Neat, quick, and elegant. Harrison grudgingly approved.

As a side note, the tutor wondered if it was healthy for joints to spin so quickly.

“And that is how it is, Young Master. Because I won, please do today’s review and tomorrow’s pre-lesson.” The butler smiled.

“Che,” the young lord pouted and crossed his arms. Harrison’s shoulders shook with laughter; the expression Ciel made was adorable.

“Well, I do suppose you have a hundred conjugations to do,” Harrison shrugged. “Tomorrow’s lesson should be third person present tense conjugations. They are not too different from what we reviewed today. Since you grasped today’s lesson fairly well, I believe we do not need to spend more time practicing.”

If anything, Ciel sulked even more.

In a lower voice, Harrison leaned down to whisper, “If you do them all perfectly, I’ll give you a lesson in _our_ world, alright? On whatever topic you wish to explore.”

Well, the child is certainly easy to appease, Harrison thought with a quiet chuckle as Ciel instantly perked up. He is really no different than James Sirius- only a lot more spoiled and much less athletic.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow as he absentmindedly accepted a questionable drink from Ciel.

“What did you say to him?” the demon asked curiously while downing the contents of the glass. It could possibly pass as lemonade if one squinted. In all the time he has known the insufferable little brat, he has had to cajole him to even attend lessons, and yet Michael managed to get him _eager_ to do work? Maybe the rumors of the angel performing miracles for party favors are not overblown. Dionysus always did throw the best parties, he reminisced with a bit of fondness.

“Nothing in particular- just a bit of an incentive to get his work done.” Harrison shrugged. “For all his maturity, Ciel is still a child- his curiosity is exploitable.”

Sebastian was not quite sure how to respond since he could hardly even remember being human, let alone caring for human children. He has long since lost his humanity, and children only equated to food for him. What they do and how they think is of no consequence to him.

“By the way, Young Master, what was in that drink?” Sebastian turned to Ciel. The smile on Sebastian’s face started twitching. “The heartburn won’t stop.”

Harrison snickered with Ciel. The tutor idly picked up the glass and let a drop of the drink fall on his tongue. A mortal drink that can even give Malphas heartburn? He must be sure to send Lilith the recipe with a postcard from this dimension. Interdimensional travel was not uncommon, but it was the thought that counted. She wasn’t all that bad; she would probably cook up a cauldron of that stuff even if it means Malphas will be after her head for the next decade or so. Yes, he got along swimmingly with Lilith.

But really, he digressed.

Harrison smacked his lips lightly to taste the drink. It was very, very sweet- perhaps one of the sweetest drinks he has ever tasted.

“It’s Tanaka’s special lemonade. I took one sip of it and deemed it unsafe for consumption,” Ciel said succinctly.

The smile on Sebastian’s face froze. And you gave it to me? That brat, he thought angrily.

Clever, Harrison thought. He flashed the child a knife-like smirk behind Sebastian’s back. He greatly approved Ciel’s action.

Ciel clearly caught onto Harrison’s mirth. He smirked right back.

“Speaking of which… what are you lot still doing here?” Sebastian turned to the other Phantomhive servants, who were still crowing over Sebastian’s victory. Where the Chinese master disappeared to was anyone’s guess. Harrison presumed that someone led him to a carriage back to the nearest town.

“Finni, have you finished weeding the garden yet? Mey-Rin, how are the shirts in the laundry? Bard, are dinner preparations in progress?” Sebastian asked. He responded to their stuttering with a sigh. “If you have time to loaf around, then please do your jobs,” he ordered firmly.

“Sebastian, there was a call from _him_ from Italy,” Ciel said.

“From Claus?”

“Yes, we talked about this- come.” Ciel got up and reached for his cane.

“As you wish.” Sebastian followed suit- like a good dog, Harrison noted darkly. He absentmindedly trailed after in the same direction, as the library was close to Ciel’s study.

“Tutor Crowe?” Tanaka tapped him lightly on the shoulder.

“Yes?” Harrison turned around to face the elderly man.  The other butler merely looked at him unblinkingly, as if trying to discern something from his appearance alone. Harrison did not mind the staring; he did not fidget, and he had nothing to hide. He met the gaze politely and unflinchingly. 

After a long while, Tanka seemed to have come to his conclusions. The man inclined his head, smiled,  and said, “Please take care of the Young Master, and welcome to the Phantomhive Manor.”

It was as if he had just passed some sort of test. Harrison had the oddest feeling that the staff would not bother him any further.

* * *

“How in the world did this happen?” Sebastian asked with the devil’s own smile plastered on his face.

“I have no idea how you could have possibly expected anything less,” Harrison remarked drily, a rather thick tome tucked under one arm. Like Sebastian, he had come running to the kitchens the moment he heard an explosion. He thought that perhaps an accident had occurred… but what happened was even worse. Who would try to cook meat with a flamethrower of all things? Perhaps Bard took the saying “good ol’ days” a bit too seriously.

Bard’s lack of common sense left Harrison baffled and disorientated. Perhaps God has left humanity alone for far too long, if evolution was breeding out intelligence. In Harrison’s oh-so-humble opinion, he had scarcely ever seen any servants more incompetent than those three in front of him.

“After I finished killing the weeds, I sprinkled the weed killer, but the lid was open,” Finny cried.

“I brought out and placed the guest’s tea set, but then I crashed into the tea shelf with the push cart,” Mey-rin sniffled.

“I set down the raw meat, and I thought that I’d cook it, but it would take too long,” Bard reasoned.

The angel merely blinked incomprehensibly at them. He could see why Malphas seemed almost relieved when he agreed to help with the housework. He thought it was a trick of light- an illusion- at the time since surely, Malphas would not be pleased that his rival and part time pain in the ass has now turned into his full time pain in the ass. The last thing Malphas wanted to do was to share a residence with the person sitting at the top of his hit list, but given the current situation, Harrison decided that Malphas’ relief was probably not an illusion.

He was mildly impressed at how proficient these mortals were at driving Malphas up a wall. Perhaps he can take cues from them.

“I understand,” Sebastian said with the patience of a saint, “I will finish setting up here. It’s fine, so please calm down.”

“Sebastian, when is the guest arriving?” Harrison asked with a snort, momentarily snapping the butler out of his thoughts.

“Two hours,” was the short reply. Harry pursed his lips and surveyed the destruction before him with keen eyes. It would be neigh impossible for a mortal to turn this mess into something presentable in two measly hours.

Turning around, Sebastian sighed. “You all should follow Tanaka-san’s example and act a little more like adults-“

‘That’s it,’ an epiphany suddenly reached the demon. “Please be quiet, everyone. From now on, please listen closely to what I have to say, and then carry out the plan I have formed.”

‘Ah,’ Harry followed the direction of his gaze and to Tanaka’s cup of green tea.

“Smart,” Harry grudgingly said to Sebastian while taking off his suit jacket and rolling up his sleeves. The demon took the complement with a dark smirk.

“You are coming?” The demon’s lips barely moved.

Harrison rolled his eyes. “And miss out on the free show? There are betting pools open on us, you know- on both sides. Really, you’d think they have better things to do. I’ll be putting my meddlesome brats through their paces when I get back. I would suggest you do the same.” It was not every day that the divine army was referred to as “brats”, but in Harrison’s opinion, they gossiped worse than housewives.

Sebastian scoffed, but a slight twitch of his lips belayed his mild amusement.

“Bard, come with me to the kitchens. Mey-Rin, please fetch the ceramic tea set we imported from Japan. Lastly, Finny, please hurry to the gardening store to purchase some iris seeds, lotus seeds, gravel, and a number of assorted items. I will write a list for you.” Sebastian pulled out a pad of lined paper and began scribbling hurriedly on it.

“What menu are you planning to make, Sebasatian?” Harry asked with a sigh as he matched the butler’s long strides.

“Beef donburi with green tea mille-feuille,” he replied curtly. He covered ground quickly, his long strides making short work of the manor’s halls.

“Hm… You would need an appetizer with that for completeness, and the spices on the rice and the beef have to be excellent. Beef donburi is a rather humble dish to serve. Perhaps a hearty soup would could double as an appetizer. I believe we have some mushrooms, salmon, and stock?” Harry asked.

“Yes, for the baked salmon this week,” Sebastian replied absentmindedly, his thoughts elsewhere.

“It would be possible to replace the cut tomorrow, no?” Harry pointed out.

Sebastian nodded, his pace towards to kitchens quickening. Time was running short.

“Excellent- then I will handle the appetizer and the spices. I believe miso-poached salmon with soup would be sufficient to start the course. The spices need to be toasted, grounded, and marinated with the meat- hopefully the cut that Bard burnt will still be raw enough on the inside.” Harry said. “I am not certain if there are dried bonito flakes in the kitchen; you would need it to make the dashi for the beef donburi. Perhaps you should check.”

Sebastian nodded in acceptance- and perhaps a very, very small tinge of gratitude. In emergency situations like this, it was a relief to have some help- no matter the source.

* * *

Harry poured on one last ladle of simmering stock onto the salmon before removing it from heat and onto a plate. He carefully took apart the slices of fish at their seams and stacked them in layers with the mushrooms. Gently, he finished the dish with a ladle of flavor-rich stock.

The spices have already been toasted, grinded, and rubbed into beef (which while not raw- was thankfully still workable). Harry checked the clock in the kitchen- forty five minutes until their esteemed guest arrives.

Preparations for the mille feuille and the remainder of the doburi were also complete. Sebastian washed his hands with a tired breath of relief. Thankfully, they did have dried bonito flakes in the kitchen: Tanaka’s love of Japanese cuisine was a blessing in disguise.

Bard and Mey-rin have long since retreated to the side wall of the kitchen- well away from the two supernaturals bustling this way and that. They watched in awe as Harrison and Sebastian’s efficiency exceeded theirs by exponential amounts. Wasn’t Harrison a tutor? How did he become so adept at cooking?

“Sebastian, I brought the gravel and the other items you wanted,” Finny called out from above ground. “Is that so? Good work. Harrison and I will do the finishing touches then. After this, please rest for now and act like adults,” Sebastian smiled and emphasized ‘adults’.

“Thanks for your help,” Harrison said to each of them while gently dabbling away sweat from his brows. “I made a couple extra servings of the appetizer since the cut of salmon was larger than what I needed. If you would like, you all are free to have them, but please do not touch the ones meant for the Young Master and his guest. It would be best to have them while they are hot” Harrison smiled and gently picked up the bag of supplies the Finny left on the counter in his hurry to the food. He would heat up the food magically when it was time to serve. Heating food by magic will not break down the protein structure in the meat any further. As an afterthought, Harrison thought to add some miscellaneous blessings to the food too- just to help the natural flavors along.

Without further ado, Harry made towards the ruined garden with Sebastian. They would have to set the rock garden while the beef marinated.

“How do you want to set up the rock garden?” Harrison asked while running up the stairs. He reluctantly held out a hand. Granted, he would have to scrub it thoroughly afterwards, but he did not have any paper on him at the moment.

Sebastian looked at the outstretched hand with an unreadable glance and began drawing the layout he had in mind on Harrison’s palm.

“I see,” Harrison said. He quickly projected an image of the proposed layout in front of them. “Is this accurate?”

“Yes,” Sebastian replied. Mentally, the demon was a bit puzzled and paranoid about the angel’s help. He expected Michael to sit back and watch him struggle in his task- this was not within the scope of his cover as a tutor. He had no reason to help, yet he matched Sebastian’s effort to resolve the matter. It was confusing, really- this angel’s inability to cease contradicting himself. After all, why would the immortal not take every opportunity he can to extract amusement out of someone he hates?

“Excellent. I will handle the lotus and iris- life is an element that responds much more favorably to me than to you,” Harrison said casually. Demons are much more accustomed to death than to life; life stemming from them would last less than a day at best. To live such a tainted life would be torturous for the animal brought forth- a curse of sorts.

Sebastian scoffed. He only needed the plants to grow for an hour and a half- what they experience within the span of that time is irrelevant. They’re plants, for Hell’s sake. A thought suddenly came to him in the midst of chaos. “Should you not be attending to the Young Master and his work?”

Harrison snorted quietly. Besides being more possessive than a dog over a bone, demons were notoriously prideful. Demons possess all seven of the cardinal sins and a multitude of other vices. Malphas was no exception to that rule; even in his confined form, he takes great pride in the perfection he presents in the name of the Phantomhives. Harrison’s lips twitched at the thought of Sebastian _preening_ with pride. Which of course- makes it all the more fun to stomp all over the demon’s delicate sensitivities.

In truth, what he said was not incorrect; life is the element that belongs to angels. Only beings of divine can create life. Demons and reapers can end life, but only angels can create them. Particularly powerful demons like Malphas can _borrow_ life, or perhaps regurgitate it, but not _create_ it.

“Yes, perhaps,” Harrison said absently. “It is after-lessons work designed to test his competence in the material taught. If I held his hands through the entirety of the work, then what difference would that make to his learning progress?”

“Perhaps you would rather the Young Master err in his endeavors?” Sebastian asked with a smirk.

Harrison waved his hand. “What could possibly give you such an absurd idea? Perish the thought.”

The duo turned right and out through the manor’s doors. The burnt and blackened landscape was as unsightly as ever.

“I will handle the plants,” Harrison said while fishing out the iris seeds that Finny bought. “By the way, you might want to read up on the history of beef donburi- I’m sure the good sir would enquire about the nature of his meal,” Harrison snickered. “The books are on the top section of the fourth shelf- the one closest to the windows.” Of course, he would know the layout of the library by now. Hermione at least drilled that particular reflex into him.

Sebastian inclined his head stiffly and set off to fetch a rake for the gravel. ‘Most likely, Michael does not wish to follow through on his promise to the Young Master, whatever he promised that brat as reward.’ The demon scoffed mentally. Angel or not, Michael was as predictable as ever- that irritating nuisance of a flying mokey.

* * *

Harrison sighed dried his hands with a towel. With the outdoor rock garden preparations completed- he added a mood spell on the surrounding area for good measure- he could leave Sebastian to finish the preparations for food. Harrison pulled out his pocket watch to check on the time- a little over fifteen minutes left to spare. Perhaps he should check on the Young Master.

“Young Master?” Harrison knocked on the great wooden doors of the study. He pushed them open with care only to see Ciel laboring over the Latin translations with complete focus. Harrison almost laughed at the unintentionally adorable scene before him. ‘How cute,’ he thought.

“Young Master, Sir Claus will be arriving in fifteen minutes. Preparations for dinner are complete,” Harrison intoned. “How goes the translations?”

Ciel nodded distractedly. “Here,” he said triumphantly and shoved the piece of paper in his tutor’s face.

“Ah, you are done- and quite quickly too,” Harrison hummed. Quickly, he skimmed over Ciel’s neat cursive for any errors in conjugation. Upon reaching the bottom of the page, he frowned and went over the work a second time.

“It seems that you have no mistakes,” the tutor said reluctantly. Ciel smirked arrogantly- an expression fit for the spoiled lordling. “Congratulations are in order- you are quite the model student given the right motivation. As promised you may have a lesson of whatever topic you wish to about the supernatural. Is there any particular area you wish to learn more in?”

Harrison had a feeling that he knew exactly what Ciel would ask for- clever as he is, Ciel can be quite predictable.

“Demons,” came the expected reply.

“Any particular part of them, or just demons in general?” Harrison gathered the parchments and books scattered around the room and set to organizing them.

Ciel paused. “In general will do, I suppose.”

“Demons it is, then. I believe you have no lessons after dinner- perhaps an hour after your meal, we can begin our lesson,” Harrison smiled.

Ciel half-pouted.

“There now, you must prepare for Sir Claus’ arrival. He will be here in less than ten minutes. I’m afraid any further questions will have to wait until after dinner,” Harrison shrugged and began outlining the materials he wanted to cover for demonology.

‘I could use some dinner too,’ he thought as he helped Ciel out of the study.

* * *

Quietly, Harrison walked into the kitchens. The staff kept their promise; Ciel’s and his guest’s food were reserved, and to Harrison’s surprise, so was his. He picked up the bowl of soup and salmon and carefully heated it up with a gentle warming charm. Luckily for him, the rest of the staff were off watching Ciel and whoever he invited eat dinner.

How fascinating that must be, watching two people consume food, Harrison thought sarcastically. He dug through the cabinets to find a bundle of thin rice noodles. He tossed it in his soup and turned up the heat some more; he dragged up a chair and dug into his dinner with gusto.

He didn’t need to eat. In Heaven, no one ate; they didn’t have bodies- not really. Realistically, Heaven can hardly handle so much human waste if everyone had bodies. It would be a nightmare-logistically. Only the top angels and the ones out on missions are given physical bodies. Otherwise, they floated around as manifestations of their soul- given shape and form, but not bodily systems. It was a clever loophole for the clerks- those lazy office dwellers.

Even now he didn’t need to eat; his metabolism has changed over the years, and eating is merely a formality for him now- something to appeal to his palate or to mark the passage of time. Still, he appreciated the state of food every now and then.

“Ah, I thought I heard someone in the kitchens,” a voice sounded from behind him. Harrison turned around reflexively; he did not feel any human presence at all.

“Tanaka-san,” he bowed elegantly at the waist.

“Ho, ho, ho,” the man laughed genially. “Just Tanaka will do, though I am surprised to hear that suffix. It has been many years since I have heard it attached to my name. You are well traveled.”

“I noticed that you enjoy Japanese cuisine quite frequently. I apologize if I leapt to conclusions,” Harrison put down his noodles. He made no mention of the fact that Tanaka moved like a Japanese warrior. “I have ventured out to see the world, yes, after I left Oxford.” The Crowes would not have hesitated to use their son- blood-related or not- as a spy. Harrison supposed he ought to drop a blessing or two over the family in return for borrowing their name.

“No, you were correct,” Tanaka said as he moved to fix himself a cup of green tea. Harrison noted that his movements were graceful despite the elderly butler’s age. “It is a wise decision on your part, to see the world while you have the youth to enjoy it.”

In graceful, familiar movements, Tanaka set down the tea- he had fixed an extra cup- in front of the tutor and settled his own up directly opposite of that.

“Thank you,” Harrison said politely, "for the tea and the company”. The tea was of good quality- as expected from the Phantomhive hospitality.

Tanaka smiled, his mustache twitching upwards. “It is surely too fine a night to be wasted inside,” he said.

“It is,” Harrison agreed. The night was calm and mild- not cold, but not hot. The stars shone brightly, and the crickets chirped. The air was filled with the sounds of animals and the rustling of leaves. There was a certain tranquility in the night- the way life fades to shades of purple and grey and blue, the way peace settles over the air, and the moon that hangs overhead like a lantern from far away.

“But I believe the Young Master is taking dinner in the gardens with his guest, and I do not want to disturb them. Nor do I wish to take dinner in the library or in my study. I would not want to cause damage to the Young Master’s collection of literature, and any mess I make in the study will only cause inconvenience to everyone else,” Harrison explained.

Tanaka laughed again and accepted his explanation. For a while, the duo merely ate in silence. There was no tension between them, only a comfortable, lulling, sense of peace.

“Tanaka, if I may ask, do you miss Japan?” Harrison asked curiously.

The elderly man mulled over his question, figuring out the best way to answer. “I do, at times, but this old body will not be able to handle anymore travel. I am afraid that I will not be able to return to Japan before my body expires.”

That, is a shame, Harrison thought, especially since Tanaka clearly held deep respect for the country. “Japan is beautiful _,_ ” he said, with respect and the smallest hint of reverence in his voice. For the first couple of centuries after his death, he travelled around the world. He went everywhere, taking his time to learn and experience what he could not when he was alive. He was released from any obligation towards the magical world when he died. He went everywhere- everywhere besides Britain; the knowledge he gleaned and the sights he saw was worth two centuries of his time.

Out of all the cultures and languages he learned, Japan was one of the ones he respected the most. Everything, from the Japanese’s unity, diligence, respectfulness, loyalty… he could go on. Some days, he thought that maybe things could have been different if the magical community had too, shown such respect and unity.

The Japanese are a very resistant bunch, he thought. He knew what happened- and what will happen- to Japan. The wars, the disasters, the society. It was hard to know that the disasters Japan faces are not isolated; its beauty is only matched by its danger. After each disaster, the people rebuild from the wreckage and continue no matter their grief. Alas, there is a price to be paid for the shining brilliance of Japan: their geographical location.

The price of equivalence isn’t something that can be changed- not even for an angel of his caliber can usurp the rules of the universe.

“It is the land of the rising sun,” Harrison said softly, his voice almost a whisper in the darkness.

“Yes, the land of the rising sun,” the butler agreed, sipping his tea lightly.

Harrison highly suspected that Tanaka was trained in some form of Japanese martial arts, but he supposed he would bear witness to Tanaka’s abilities if he stayed for long enough. For now, he would be patient.

Once more, they both listened to the sounds of the night. Harrison wasn’t aware of the passage of time; it was such an easy thing to lose track of. Time- it slips through the fingers of mortals oh so gently- to an immortal like him, it might as well be nonexistent.

“Thank you for taking care of the Young Master,” Tanaka smiled, his statement echoing slightly through the kitchen.

“Thank you for letting me,” Harrison replied automatically. “Is that okay though, for me to do so?” He said with a bit of hesitance. To any mortal, he supposed it would come off as hesitance from inexperience. Surely the butler had several decades of experience in taking care of the Phantomhive family. Why would he leave Ciel in _Sebastien_ ’s hands? Knowing that demon, he probably had a hard time adjusting to life as a butler. Does the oldest staff member truly not care about the manor being blown up every other week?

The old man merely smiled wisely at the angel, as if he found humor in the question itself. “It brings joy to me- to know that the household is in good hands. I am old; these old bones no longer work as they use to. It is time for the new generation to step up for the Phantomhive household. I am glad that the Young Master has found competent servants to replace those he has lost.”

“Even if they need a bit of help?” Harrison said drily with just a hint of humor. A lot of help. A ton of help.

“Even so,” Tanaka laughed genially. “Skills can be learned, but a sense of loyalty- that is more precious than any skill.”

“Indeed, your words are true” Harrison agreed. Wisdom comes with age, and this man certainly has enough of both. He was reminded of an old man from what feels like eons ago, a hundred lifetimes away. Dumbledore, he remembered after rummaging through his countless memories- the purple robes, the pointed hats, the socks, the candies… Tanaka reminds him of Dumbledore.

“Thank you for trusting me with the Young Master’s education. I will do my utmost to fulfill the task given to me and honor your decision,” the newest Phantomhive staff member said earnestly. “Please look after me kindly, and thank you for your guidance,” Harrison said the last part in Japanese and bowed- finishing his performance as a well travelled, polite young tutor.

Even he could hardly tell which parts are genuine and which parts are not. After a while, the mask and the lies mingle and merge, as do reality and dreams. Perhaps he has merely ceased to care about which parts are true and which are not. Or perhaps his reality has been washed away by the sands of time and replaced with something more suited for his station.

Tanaka bowed politely back, with a gentle smile on his face.

* * *

“So, how was dinner with your guest, Young Master?” Harrison asked, not bothering to look up from the heavy tome in his lap. He bounced his right leg to stop it from falling asleep; the book was certainly heavy enough to slow his circulation.

“Sir Claus is a part of the information network put together and left behind by my predecessor,” the child said with a sigh. “Dinner was satisfactory barring a minor incident.”

“Handled by Sebastian, I presumed?” Harrison closed the text with a thump and brushed the dust off his clothing. He winced; despite his best efforts, his leg still protested when he tried to walk. As such, he limped over to the blackboard.

“You would presume correctly,” Ciel nodded. He stalked over- as much as he could in such a small body- and inspected the blackboard next to the bookshelves.

While Ciel was entertaining his guest with small talk and useless pandering, the tutor had found a blackboard and some chalk tucked away in the back of the library. In neat, precise handwriting, he easily outlined demonology and the various classes of demons- a corner of demon nobility here, a dash of demonic species there, and the board was filled with white text. While he rarely took teaching duty in Heaven- that job fell on the various professors who have died over the years- basic demonology was more or less considered common sense in the afterlife. Even those that avoided becoming demons had to have basic knowledge- for survival, that is.

Choosing to be an angel has its benefits; free education would definitely be one of them. Harrison wondered how many Nobel laureates Heaven has received over the years; he never bothered to count.

“This is…” Ciel placed a gloved hand on the blackboard, smudging the letters slightly.

“Chalk,” Harrison shrugged and absentmindedly dusted off some chalk dust from the cuff of his sleeve. “You did ask for a lesson in demonology; it is easier to explain in visual form.”

“So I did,” Ciel regained his composure. The child sat down in a chair that was far too large for him and steepled his fingers. “You may begin at your leisure.”

Harry fought the urge to sigh at the spoiled lordling. He bit down his protests and began. Ciel immediately sat up in his chair. He could tell that the one talking was the archangel Michael, not the tutor Harrison Crowe. “Right, to understand demonology, you must first understand what happens to human souls upon death of the body. Surprising human religious beliefs regarding the afterlife are not completely inaccurate; they do hold a certain degree of truth to them. What happens after the predetermined end largely depends on the individual and the color of their soul. Despite what mortals think, there are multiple deities and multiple systems; the deities draw their power from worship, so when their followers die, they are claimed by their god of choice. It gets a good deal more complicated than that- especially with people who believe in just about everything. There are actually _attorneys_ for this kind of thing. I briefly explained my duty here and the fact that mortal souls have colors a week ago,” Harrison sighed as he thought of the troublesome attorneys in afterlife. He tried not to show his agitation, but judging by Ciel’s smirk, he wasn’t all that successful.

“Different religions have different guidelines and protocols, but generally speaking, the dead are divided into three; those who are to be rewarded, those who are to repent or to reincarnate, and those who are to be punished. The “color” of the soul determines which fate awaits it. Souls that are very close to black end up in hell, and those that are close to white end up in Heaven. The grey ones- usually along the midtone range- get reincarnated. Some religions, like Buddhism  emphasize reincarnation, so the second category is larger than the first and the third. For the religions that believe in God, the three categories are fairly equal in size and number.”

Ciel was fascinated, if a bit overwhelmed. ‘This… this is what happens after death,’ he thought dazedly.

The tutor droned on, oblivious to- or apathetic about- Ciel’s awe. “So, the souls to be rewarded are sent to Heaven- where they are given the choice to become angels or to remain as normal residents. Likewise, the souls to be punished either get eaten or turn into demons. The ones to repent are usually forward into reincarnation. A small percentage of them stay behind to become Shinigami. These are the three main categories of supernatural beings in this world- angels, demons, and Shinigami- at least in your dimension. Today we will be focusing on demons,” Harrison said and quickly circled the word “Demons” before Ciel could start asking about different dimensions. A number of lines were drawn radiating from the word.

“So all demons were once humans,” Ciel half asked.

“Yes,” Harrison nodded. “Though demons tend to shed their humanity very quickly. Since the turnover rate for any of the three is rather low, we tend to live for a very, very long time- centuries, or even millennia. Once you get to that age, the time you spent as a human will seem infinitesimally small. For demons who have to subsist on human souls, the transition is even quicker; they have to forget their humanity to survive. Emotions like mercy or pity have no place in Hell, of course.”

That would explain a number of things, Ciel mused, remember Sebastian’s distinct lack of common skills when he first took on the role of a butler.

“All angels were once human too,” Ciel added shrewdly.

However, Harrison- Michael, really- only shrugged. “Yes, I was once a human too,” he said gracefully.

Ciel hummed in thought and narrowed his eyes, his mind flying though the different implications of the statement.

“There are many types of demons of varying powers,” Michael continued.  “Generally speaking, the humanoid demons are the most dangerous since they possess conscious thought. Demons that take on animal forms include sea serpents, goblins, and familiars- usually in the shape of imps, cats, or toads. They hold little power of their own, though they can influence mortals quite easily. However, other supernatural beings are not so easily fooled, and they are considered to be fairly powerless. Humanoid demons include incubi, succubae, ghouls, and fallen angels, among others.”

Harrison’s expression darkened slightly at the last category, but it was gone the blink of an eye, replaced by his usual politeness. If Ciel did not know the context of the statement, he would have thought that it was a trick of the light.

“There are other types, of course. You can think of them as different races; they are comparable to such. Humanoid demons are capable of taking an animal form; as I have said before, Malphas- Sebastian- takes the form of a Crow when he appears. I believe Lilith occasionally takes the form of an owl when she appears on the human plane; she has not done so in a number of centuries though,” Harrison mused. “On the other hand, animal demons aren’t powerful enough to take a humanoid form… they can be thought of as… very vicious pets, per se.”

Harrison chuckled a bit, confusing Ciel with his sense of humor, which was almost as bad as Sebastian’s.

“Despite the supposed chaos, eternal brimstone and whatnot, Hell actually has a rather rigid monarchy,” Harrison continued.

Ciel sat up- monarchy- now that was something easily understandable for him.

“The reigning monarch is Lucifer- or Satan- whichever you prefer. He goes by both,” Harrison shrugged. “He’s not a bad chap, actually. His ego’s galactic in size, but he is fairly good company; I have tea with him every other century or so.”

Ciel Phantomhive sat, dumbfounded, hardly believing his ears. Archangel Michael likes to have tea with Lucifer? What happened to them being eternal enemies? Somehow the Bible managed to miss that part.

“Of course, I didn’t fall with him, but we still keep in contact,” Michael added.

“And your… employer would not be displeased?” Ciel asked incredulously.

“No, he is quite lenient with us,” the archangel shrugged gracefully. “The first thing you find out in afterlife is that deities are nothing if not lazy. Short of the apocalypse, they don’t’ do much. As long as we don’t pull a Lucifer, he is fine with us visiting Hell occasionally. Most of the higher up demons and angels don’t mind each other much. Barring Malphas, I get along fairly well the more powerful humanoid demons. Time does tend to heal most wounds, and the infamous wars we tend to get to are more for the younger angels and demons. They’re a lot more hotblooded than we are; it’s kind of like how your kings used to send knights on crusades when they got too bored. Besides, can you imagine how much damage we would do if the higher angels and demons were constantly at odds?” The angel shuddered.

Ciel still couldn’t wrap his mind around the concept and merely stayed silent.

“Back to what I was saying… In order of least to most powerful, the demonic nobility titles are: Great Marshals, Knights, Presidents, Great Presidents, Earls, Great Earls, Dukes, Great Dukes, Marquises, Great Marquises, Princes, Great Princes, Kings, Great Kings, and Emperor- which would be Lucifer. Malphas is a prince; the higher your rank, the more underlings you command,” Harrison chuckled. “Though whether that is a blessing or not depends on the demon in question and how high their tolerance is for stupidity. I believe Malphas has forty legions,” he added as an afterthought.

As an Earl, Ciel could empathize with that statement completely. Managing and maintain the network his predecessor- he would refuse to think of the man as his fathers, for those memories are better left buried- had left behind was a pain.

“Demons do come to Earth fairly often, but they are widespread across different dimensions; beings from Hell are allowed to jump to parallel dimensions to hunt for food, but they are prohibited from manipulating time. I believe the Fates put their collective foot down on that one; the demons would simply cause too much trouble if they could change the timeline constantly.  Keeping all the demons in one dimension would simply spell doom for humanity in that dimension anyways. Lucifer does keep an eye on his demons, but they hardly have a system in Hell- unlike the rather strict mission system we run in Heaven. Like the higher angels, demons in the higher nobility do not often venture down to Earth. Generally speaking, more powerful the demon, the less they need to eat. It is this reason that Malphas can go decades without consuming a soul; a lesser demon would have gone mad by now if, actually. He’s one of the few who can actually fulfill a contract like yours; most demons cannot starve for so long. When higher demons descend to Earth, it is almost always for entertainment, so your situation is highly unusual,” Harrison noted.

“I suppose I do have a certain type of luck, yes,” Ciel said slowly, turning the words over in his mind.

Harrison barked a laugh, startling the boy. “Yes, I suppose you do. I hope you do realize that you are the most protected human in your dimension – possibly in all of the dimensions- a thirteen year old boy with a prince of hell and an archangel as your live-in servants. Malphas and I are still talk of both Heaven and Earth right now; Gabriel was exceedingly delighted to pass me that particular message. Both ends have _betting pools_ open on us,” Harrison pulled a face at that. He remembered how his curly haired colleague had been particularly mirthful, barely managing to cease his laughter to deliver the message.

“What are they betting on?” Ciel asked curiously. To think that ‘sinless’ beings opened betting pools regularly of all things… Religious studies will never again be a boring subject.

“I’m not sure, actually,” Harrison mused. “Perhaps they are betting on how long it takes for Malphas and I to strangle each other.”

“I will be sure to order Sebastian not to do you any harm on purpose,” Ciel said flippantly, his ring catching the light.

“There is no need for that; Sebastian will just arrange some accidents for me instead. Besides, it will be a sad day in Hell if I can’t fend off Malphas at his current crippled state,” Harrison straightened his tie.

Ciel thought that crippled was the last word to be used in Sebastian’s context, but he motioned for the tutor to continue.

“Ah yes, where was I?” he asked. “Right- to the next part of our lesson- demonic summoning and contracts.”

Here, Ciel’s gaze sharpened. Without a doubt, this is what he wants to know.

“Demons can be summoned, but they have to be willing participants; this is where the majority of summons fall to pieces. A lot of times, the demon they are trying to summon simply does not wish to come to Earth. Thus, humans try to entice the demons with sacrifices and offerings. The more powerful the demon, the more apathetic, and thus, the more sacrifices needed. One summoned, the demon in question usually consumes the sacrifices. After that, they have several options: they can either contract with someone- as Malphas did with you-, they can betray their summoners, or they can choose to stay around and grant a wish or two,” Harrison continued. He paused when he saw Ciel’s hands start shaking- doubtlessly from the memories from his ordeal.

“Young Master,” Harrison said, hesitating to continue. He wanted to say Ciel at that moment- the shaking child in front of him was no master- merely a traumatized child. “Perhaps it is time to stop for the night. I do not wish to give you night terrors.”

Ciel took a deep breath to still his tremors. He earned this lesson the hard way, and this information is vital- he will not give into his memories. He crushed his fears ruthlessly; they will hinder him no more. “No, continue,” he ordered regally.

Harrison frowned and bit back an objection. “There are various contracts that can be formed with a demon- each has its own specialties and confines. In your case, you have what is called the “Faustian contract”; unfortunately, this contract is unbreakable. There is no way to break it and no way to escape it once it is formed,” Harrison frowned. He could try that statement, but even if he could break the bond, he was sure that Ciel’s life would be lost in the process.

And that, was not acceptable.

“The only advice I can give you is this: prolong your goal. As long as your goal is unfulfilled, Sebastian will be obligated to fulfill the contract. You are the last of your line, so unless you want the Phantomhive family to end with you, you have to drag this contract out by decades. You are still young, so you won’t be dying of natural causes any time soon. Perhaps you should get to making a couple of heirs for the line?” Harrison teased with a grin.

Ciel turned bright red, much to Harrison’s amusement.

“Of course, I will be on hand to make sure Malphas doesn’t try anything underhanded- I’ll gladly put that demon through a wall or two- but I cannot change the terms of the contract.” More like through every brick in the Great Wall of China and then some, the archangel thought.

_Michael_ was genuinely worried for him, Ciel thought in wonder. Worry lines don’t suit the angel, he thought. A startling thought reached Ciel; despite what his tutor said earlier about supernatural beings and their lack of humanity, the angel in front of him obviously kept a large amount of his- the kind of genuine worry cannot be anything but human. Furthermore, the additional jibe about him not being of marrying age only cemented Ciel’s suspicion that the man was raised as a noble. For a split second, he sounded just like a mix between his mother and father- the worried nagging of his mother and the stern- but comforting- presence of his father. Ciel ignored the pang in his chest and ruthlessly shoved his traitorous thoughts away

Harrison checked his watch; “It is late, Young Master- you must head to bed,” he said firmly. There was no room for argument in his tone, and Ciel could only nod mutely in acceptance. The fact that he was the master of the house momentarily slipped his mind.

Gently, Harrison escorted the sleepy Earl Phantomhive to his room and dressed him in his silk pajamas. He tucked the child into bed- taking extra care to fluff up the down pillows- and closed the doors of the master bedroom.

“Good night, Ciel,” Harrison said softly. The archangel hesitated momentarily before tapping into his magic. He traced some runes for protection onto the door- runes for peace and sleep. He hastily completed his blessing and locked it into the room; Ciel will be free of night terrors, at least for the week. It was the least he could do for the child; the lesson had not been gentle on his psyche.

Methodically, he locked away his emotions. He had a job to do as an archangel; a heart has no place in his duty, and neither does his humanity. He would have to take extra care not to let his emotions override his logic. Harrison sighed and ran a hand through his hair- _this_ was why he protested when the clerks handed him this mission.

At the end of the day, Ciel Phantomhive is merely a mortal- one who will expire before the next century. It will not do for him to dwell on a transient being.

Somehow, the thought bothered him more than he cared to admit, and he cannot quite remember why. Neither can he quite name the faces that flashed to his mind nor the music that rang in his ears.  

* * *

Mandy: Well, that’s a wrap! Sorry for the lateness of the chapter; this is a bit filler-ish because I needed to add in a transition to the next mini plot, which would be the kidnapping chapter. Also, I wanted to add in some character development between Harrison and the rest of the characters. I will have to take it slowly and explain the whole demons/angels/Shinigami system in this story; it will draw some information from mythology or different religions, but since I wasn’t raised to believe in any particular religion (my parents told me to think for myself) everything I get will be from google and Wikipedia.

A quick word to the readers who also follow my other stories: Jack of all trades isn’t going to be updated any time soon; I haven’t started planning the next chapter yet. That Crazy Nut of a Teacher probably will be updated in the next month and a half or so. The next chapter is complete (minus the omakes), but I still need to proof read and edit it a couple of times.

Also, I added the part about Japanese culture because of several reasons: firstly, it fits the setting of the scene very well; secondly, it would make sense for Harry not to return to Britain since he has all the time in the world to travel; thirdly, I think Harry would honestly respect the Japanese culture. The Japanese culture is worth respect in a lot of ways, to be honest. Some of what Harry says echoes my own, of course, since I am the one writing this.

Though one thing that seriously pisses me off to no end is how the old generation transfers grudges over to the new generation via education. It happens everywhere, but it’s pretty pronounced against/for the Japanese, which makes no sense to me. Every country has history that it would like to hide- it’s not anything new. If everyone listed out every single grudge, it would take forever and a day. It’s one thing to rail on governments, but people are different from their governments. I was raised in a multilingual, multicultural environment, so I don’t hold grudges against any country for history alone. It just annoys me to see the people around me- educated or otherwise- hating or belittling individuals they have never met over something that didn’t even happen to them. I mean, seriously?

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I wish that people could be judged by their actions and their thoughts rather than the color of their skin or the culture they are from. I really wish that more people can see others as individuals and not merely a part of the collective. Every person is unique, and it’s disheartening, to see that flash of prejudice in someone’s eyes before you have even said a single word. It’s not really something that you forget.

Anyways… rant done- sorry about that. About the title of the chapter, I have recently become obsessed with that song. I watch figure skating  (I’m definitely not a figure skater though- I have flat feet and a really awful sense of balance), and one of the men figure skaters (not saying who- anyone who follows figure skating closely probably knows anyways) has a long program  this year with that song. The performance is absolutely amazing.

I’m not quite sure when the next update will be, but I already know how the next chapter will go. It’s really just a matter of writing it out, but school is keeping me as busy as always. For new readers: my chapters typically go over 10k; actually, this is a bit on the short side (at round 11k or so). I don’t update very often, but my updates are usually pretty long. Also, I got a beta! Say hello to Ari 347; she betas my stories for me, though I usually send them to her after I publish the chapters. She is currently working on my other story, That Crazy Nut of a Teacher.


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